Celtic Connections, Glasgow, January 2006

Cathy Ann MacPhee.

PART OF Cathy Ann Macphee’s charm on the stage is her easy chat and rapport with the audience and this was in abundance at her concert in the Piping Centre. Billed as ‘Cathy Ann and Friends’, she was joined by Glenuig piper Iain Macdonald, John Martin on fiddle and guitarist Tony Macmanus – as it turned out, a perfect team to support Cathy Ann in all her song sets.

The singer has now been exiled in Ontario for the last five years, but has lost none of her engaging wit and spark. Her stories, poking gentle fun at herself and her co-artistes, keep the audience amused between sets, and it is almost as if the audience is sitting in Cathy Ann’s own living room at home. A real ‘taigh-chèilidh (house cèilidh)’ – that’s what it was.

Cathy Ann (see picture above) presented a selection of styles of song, from lullabies such as ‘He mo Luran’ and the lovely ‘Bidh Clann Ulaidh’ to the Gaels’ national anthem, ‘Cànan nan Gaidheal’, puirt a beul and the classic ‘An Ataireachd Àrd’, with sympathetic accompaniment from John Martin.

Cathy Ann is also a bit of a Country gal at heart, and gave us a lovely arrangement of the Dolly Parton classic “Only Love”, which she presented in English then in Gaelic translation. Songs written in English do not always work well in translation, but this was an exception to the rule.

‘Hard Times’ was complimented by a harmony chorus from Louise Mackenzie, whom we know more as a fiddler. Cathy Ann was joined for the final song by Kathleen Macinnes (who is in the process of recording her first album), in a Runrig classic, ‘Tillidh Mi’.

Cathy Ann’s voice is earthy and emotive, painting pictures from the machair with an honest compassion which reaches into the listener’s soul. Her first song of the evening was another Runrig classic, ‘Cum ar Nàire’, which was really the theme for the evening –“pay attention to our heritage and our culture- it is special”. The audience did not need converting – they already knew it.

It is good to see that Celtic Connections is recognising the complete and utter importance of song (but the Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellow would say that, wouldn’t she? – Ed.) in the rich musical tradition of Scotland with the Songs of Scotland Series of concerts, mounted in conjunction with the Traditional Music and Song Association.

They take place in the Universal Folk Club, tucked off Sauchiehall Street, and this venue is proving to be very popular with both audiences and artists alike. A fairly small space, it provides the sort of intimate atmosphere which is just right for concerts like this, which are a celebration of song in its own pure right.

It proves that it is not necessary for singers to have big flashy stage sets and lighting rigs, mountains of PA and scores of musicians to produce an evening of unadulterated entertainment which is also of immense heritage value. These presentations are just as important and just as artistically stunning as some of the more expensive and logistically difficult shows on the main stages of the festival.

Presented by Bana-Leòdhasach, Ishbel MacAskill, this concert was a celebration of the rich culture of song from the Uists, presented by some of the Islands best Gaelic singers on the scene today. Presented in the traditional fashion, with no accompaniment on any of the songs, apart from other voices, it leaves the singer bearing his or her soul, with brutal honesty, from which there is no escape but through the ears of the audience.

Songs such as ‘O gur toigh leam’ from Mairi Macinnes and ‘Comann Uibhist ‘s Barraidh’ from Margaret Callan, ‘Uibhist Mo Ruin’ from Julie Fowlis and ‘Oran Uibhist’ from Gillebride MacMillan reached into the hearts of the largely home audience and took them straight to the machair of the islands.

The songs are enriched by the singer’s stories about how they learned the songs, where they got them from, who the subjects were and what they mean to them personally. Luadh (waulking songs) such as ‘Nighean Chruinn Donn’ provided the audience with perfect opportunities for joining in, and it was a rare audience member who did not know the words of at least two or three of the songs.

Sets of puirt a beul (mouth music) also provided occasional breaks in the tense emotion in songs such as ‘Oran do Nighean’ and ‘A’ Mhic Iain ‘ic Sheumais’.

All four of these singers are very aware of their precious heritage and how best to both preserve and develop it. In this traditional sphere, it is the songs themselves that are the vehicles for the stories. They are enhanced certainly by some lovely voices, but it is not necessarily always the best singers in the world who are privileged with this great treasury of culture.

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It is good to see that Celtic Connections is recognising the complete and utter importance of song

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Indeed, as most of the audience could have told you, the most precious recordings are those of the original sources, some sung many many years ago, in crackling and windstruck voices. While we cannot always be lucky enough to have access to these sources, we can be assured that the Song Tradition of the Uist – and hopefully of the other areas covered by the series – are very safe in the hands of these four great singers, and the other Uibhisteachs like them.

The main auditorium of the Royal Concert Hall was the venue for the resurrection of Donald Shaw’s ‘Harvest’. Shaw’s concept was to have a major production to ‘reap the benefits’ of all the hard work done with young people and traditional music over the years, particularly by the Fèisean movement.

Premiered originally at Celtic Connections in January 2004 as the opening concert to the Festival, the response was so great that Shaw decided to bring it back this year and showcase the developing talents of the young people involved, as well as give them the opportunity to work with world renowned artists.

Participants came from Fèisean all across the country, from Feis Rois, Feis Loch Abair, Feis Bharraigh, Feis Latharna, to name only a few. First impressions of the stage were of a huge ‘folk orchestra’, which is one way to describe the layout on stage, comprising strings, pipes, percussion, flutes, whistles and other wind instruments, clarsaich, accordions, and keyboards.

Approximately 50 young people took the stage alongside musicians such as Charlie McKerron, Ewan Vernal, Aidan O’Rourke, Michael McGoldrick, Gerry O’Connor, James Mackintosh and Jim Sutherland.

Sparkling instrumental sets sat beautifully alongside haunting Gaelic songs such as ‘Calum Sgaire’, headed up by Capercaillie’s lead vocalist, Karen Matheson. She is unceasing in her encouragement and support of the talented young Gaelic singers of the future, such as Deirdre Graham and Katie Mackenzie of the RSAMD, or Rachel Newton, Emma Macinnes and Michael Campbell at Plockton Centre of Musical Excellence.

The singers also reprised the contemporary waulking song ‘Luadh an Toraidh’ (Harvest Waulking Song) written for the commission by Gaelic poet Angus MacNichol. Puirt a beul sets were also delivered assuredly and with humour by the young singers who delighted in being joined on vocals by singer Uxia, who also transfixed the audience with her own stunning Galician songs – and also delighted with her Gaelic introduction to her sets.

Singer Chus Pedro from Andalucia was an inspired addition to the cast list for the show. He obviously enjoyed himself and was appreciative of the hard work involved in the show – in his halting English he told the audience how “the music is a universal language”. He was joined on stage by fellow Asturian Jose Tejedor, a piper who doubled as translator for Chus. Two Bretons, Jean Michel Veillon on flute and Gilles le Bigot on guitar, completed the line up of star European guests.

All credit has to go to Donald Shaw (see picture above) for what is logistically an enormous task, carried out with obvious good humour. From the moment the fiddlers lifted their bows, it was clear that this was a show to outdo all other shows witnessed so far this Festival, in terms of sheer energy and excitement, undeniable youth talent, and incredible melding of cultures. You just knew that this was going to be a special afternoon, a hairs-up-on-the-back-of-the neck- experience.

In January 2004, it was difficult to imagine that Donald Shaw and the Fèisean and other groups involved could improve on the show as it was then. Players, voices and relationships between masters and apprentices have obviously matured, and this is now definitely a show that deserves to be played to a much wider audience. Comments heard on leaving varied from “amazing” and “ fantastic” to simply “wow!”. I could not agree more.

Fiona MacKenzie is the Mairi Mhor Gaelic Song Fellow

© Fiona MacKenzie, 2006